?Mom, we have a problem.? In our home, with four young children, that?s a phrase I hear more than I would like. Often it?s something easily solved. Other times, the solution doesn?t come quite so quickly. As we approach the upcoming election and the Texas legislative session, there are many important problems to be solved.
In our community, the number of children living in low socioeconomic homes increased to more than 68 percent from 50 percent just 10 years ago as reported by our local public schools. The effects of poverty have a significant impact on a child?s ability to be successful in school. Doing well in school and achieving a post-high school credential, certificate or degree sets the stage for increased earnings.
Today Texas ranks 51st ? even behind Puerto Rico ? in the number of adults who have received a high school diploma. Poor academic achievement and the implications for our future present complex problems with few easy answers.
In 1969, the founders of Opportunity School saw children, especially those living in poverty, were at risk of starting behind in school and being unable to catch up. By creating a program that provides high quality, affordable early education for children primarily from low-income families, they began planting seeds of opportunity that have blossomed decades later. These young, visionary women and men did more than just talk about the problem; they took action. Early Opportunity School students who came from humble beginnings have become doctors, administrative assistants, department supervisors, lawyers, teachers, bankers, opera singers, professional musicians, good citizens, volunteers in our community and successful parents.
While not the entire solution, high quality, early childhood programs are a very important part of the journey to success in school and in life.
All parents ? regardless of where they live or work or how much money they make ? want the best for their children, both now and in the future. Sadly, there are far too many working families stressed by the struggle just to make ends meet. However, when parents can access high-quality child care, especially in the early years, children have a stronger chance of overcoming poverty?s effects. Long-term studies have demonstrated the seeds for school success begin before children even begin kindergarten.
Recent research from The University of Texas at Austin proves high-quality preschool significantly reduces the achievement gap between rich and poor. The study was published in the February 2012 issue of Psychological Science. The study found that for children in wealthier homes, there were no differences in test scores between those who went to preschool and those who did not. However, poor children who attended preschool had test scores much higher than if they stayed home.
The Abecedarian Project at the University of North Carolina has found that children who participate in high-quality early education are found to be four times more likely to earn college degrees; they are also more likely to be employed consistently and less likely to have used public assistance.
?Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.?
That well-known verse from Proverbs affirms what research has proven: that lessons learned as young children stick with us for years to come. Investing in early education, especially for children living in poverty, is one of the best investments we can make in the future prosperity of our community.
If you have a heart for helping young children break out of the cycle of poverty, please invest in them by joining Opportunity School supporters for ?LIPS! Country Cabaret? on Oct. 4. Reservations can be made online at www.opportunity
school.com.
Jill Goodrich is the Executive Director of Opportunity School. Opportunity School serves 150 children per year from infant to age 5 providing affordable, high quality early childhood education with two campuses.
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